The most decorated program in college basketball could use a mulligan.

With just one game left on UCLA’s regular-season schedule, there is no way to spin the disaster that has been Steve Alford’s third campaign. The team has lost eight of its past 11 games, a six-week stretch that looks more deflating with each passing day. The Bruins’ last three opponents have thumped them by a total of 29 points.

“When you lose, you feel terrible,” said center Tony Parker, the team’s only senior. “You have a bad taste in your mouth. You really can’t sleep at night. I’ve had this taste too much this year.”

So have fans. The Bruins’ first three home games of the season, which came against the likes of Monmouth, Cal Poly and Pepperdine, drew an average crowd of 6,444. The Bruins’ 76-68 loss on Wednesday to No. 9 Oregon only pulled in 6,578. Yes, against the only Pac-12 team ranked in the national top 10, Pauley Pavilion was barely half full.

It’s hard to blame the UCLA faithful for their disinterest. Alford’s arrival from New Mexico was controversial from the start, not just for his uneven coaching resume, but also for the way he so badly botched his response to a question about his handling of a decade-old sexual assault case at Iowa. By opening his tenure with back-to-back Sweet 16 runs — and by eventually issuing an apology — he helped dispel some of those concerns.

In the bigger picture, however, the Alford era has not been encouraging. After winning 28 games in 2013-14, then 22 last season, he is now stuck at 15. Recently, he has mentioned the challenge of trying to replace five NBA draft picks in the last two offseasons. Four of those five of those draftees, however, were recruited by his predecessor, Ben Howland.

Alford has hinted that his incoming recruiting class, ranked No. 5 in the country, can turn the team around in a hurry. But bringing in five-star recruits such as point guard Lonzo Ball and forward T.J. Leaf also raises the bar: Come next year, a third Sweet 16 run in four years will feel to most fans like a passing grade, not honor roll material.

Whatever goodwill Alford generated seems to be fading. A petition to fire Alford has drawn more than 1,200 signatures. Some fans are planning for a protest outside Pauley Pavilion before Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. tipoff against Oregon State.

It’s worth noting that UCLA (15-15, 6-11) opened as a four-point favorite over the Beavers, a line that has since opened up to seven points. A win, however, would be a little more than window dressing — particularly given that OSU will be without second-leading scorer Tres Tinkle (foot). Oregon State has not made the NCAA Tournament since 1990; that it has a chance to make the field while the Bruins stay at home is ignominy enough.

Beating the Beavers (17-11, 8-9) would keep UCLA from falling to a losing record, but does nothing to help a resume that is far from NCAA Tournament-worthy.

For Alford’s team, making the field of 68 will require a remarkable run next week in Las Vegas. Locked in as the No. 10 seed in the Pac-12 Tournament, they must win four games in four days to guarantee themselves a March Madness bid. In the 18 years that the conference has held a postseason event, only one team — Colorado in 2012 — as accomplished that feat.

UCLA (15-15, 6-11) vs. Oregon State (17-11, 8-9)

Saturday, March 5, 3:30 p.m., Pauley Pavilion

TV: Pac-12 Networks (J.B. Long, Matt Muehlebach)

Radio: AM 570 (Bill Roth, Darrick Martin)

• UCLA has lost eight of its last 11 games, dropping the last three by a combined 29 points. Another loss would give the Bruins a losing record in the regular season for just the fourth time in the last half-century.

• While UCLA is locked in as the No. 10 seed in the Pac-12 Tournament, its first postseason opponent is still undetermined. Washington currently holds that spot at seventh in the conference, but USC, Oregon State and Stanford could potentially each match the Huskies’ 9-9 league record.

Jack Wang covers the Chargers, the latest NFL team to relocate to Los Angeles. He previously covered the Rams, and also spent four years on the UCLA beat, a strange period in which the Bruins' football program often outpaced their basketball team. He is a proud graduate of UC Berkeley, where he spent most of his time in The Daily Californian offices in Eshleman Hall — a building that did not become earthquake-safe until after his time on campus.

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